Faces
by byrhthelm
Summary: A one-shot, short ficlet. A reminder of a tragic event visits JAG HQ.  Not a pairing of any sort.


**AN: **This ficlet takes place post-_Ice Queen_ and _Meltdown _

**Faces**

**July 2003, JAG HQ Falls Church, Virginia**

Captain Gillespie parked his Ford Ranger in an empty slot as near to the building as he could get it. Opening the door he swivelled round until his legs were clear of the vehicle body and gingerly slid to the ground. Retrieving his stick from where he had placed it between the front seats, he leaned on it heavily as he limped towards the steps, almost dragging his ruined left leg behind him.

He had to halt on the steps to transfer his stick to his left hand in order to return the salute of the Marine sentry posted there, and grateful for the shade of the building after his exposure to the hot July sun, he passed through the doors and stood for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the comparative dark of the interior. He felt completely out of place here, his green, army Class A uniform made him feel almost like a foreigner in this building that was so alien, so Navy.

As his eyes adjusted to the gloom he saw what he was looking for, a hatch in a wall through which he could see USMC uniforms. Limping across to the hatch he was seen by a young Marine Pfc, a petite blonde girl, almost the spitting image of his Laurie.

Pfc Julia Sommers had seen the Captain approach, and although visiting Army officers weren't totally unknown, their advent at the Navy JAG Corps HQ in Falls Church was sufficiently rare for them to be noticeable. Especially, she thought, with a stab of sympathy when they had been as badly injured as this officer seemed to have been. As he got nearer she was unable to entirely conceal her feelings as she saw that not only was he trailing an evidently damaged leg, but that the right side of his face was covered in raw, pink scar tissue and that he had only the stub of an ear on that side of his head.

"How may I help you, sir?" she gulped, as she fixed her eyes on his helicopter pilot's wings in a vain attempt to try hide her feelings of revulsion.

Peter Gillespie tried to smile reassuringly at the young woman, but could only contort his mouth into a grimace; the fire had burned away the nerves that controlled his muscles as well as the skin that used to cover his face. "I need a visitor's pass for JAG Ops, please"

Pfc Sommers could just about understand the mangled sounds that came out of his mouth, "Certainly, sir. If I may see your ID, please?"

Swiftly copying Captain Gillespie P A's details into the ledger, she paused as she produced the badge, and, pen poised over the appropriate column in the visitors' book she asked "And who are you visiting, sir?"

"My wife, Lieutenant Gillespie, Navy JAG Ops."

Pfc Sommers didn't recognise the name and a scan of the JAG Officers' in office/out of office board was no help. Turning to her superior at the desk behind her she asked, "Sergeant, do you know a Navy Lieutenant JAG. Gillespie?"

The Sergeant looked across the office space at his Pfc, "No, doesn't ring any bells, Pfc Sommers," he shook his head, and rising to his feet he moved across to the hatch, "Good afternoon, sir. You're looking for a Navy Lieutenant Gillespie, sir?" She must have just been assigned, otherwise the husband would have been here before, and it's not like his guys wouldn't have remembered this poor son of a bitch, even if he been Navy or Marine Corps, instead of Army. Somehow looking at the ruined face in front of him he couldn't bring himself to use the derogatory term 'Grunt', not even silently to himself.

"When was the Lieutenant assigned, here sir?" If she's newly assigned, he could 'phone up to JAG and have her come down to escort her husband.

"Uh, just before Christmas '99, I think, Sergeant. I can't be sure of the date, but it was about a year before I met her."

Sergeant Hernandez's brow furrowed, if the Captain's wife had been here that long, longer than himself, he should certainly know her.

"Sir, I've been assigned here since '01, and I've never heard of a Lieutenant Gillespie here. Are you sure she's assigned here, and not an LSO somewhere in the DC area?"

"Yes, Sergeant, I am quite sure, Navy JAG HQ"

Hernandez frown grew more pronounced. There was obviously a mystery here, but what it was he had no idea. Then his eye alit on someone he was certain could help.

"Petty Officer?" he called, and turning to the Captain quickly explained, "She's the Admiral's Yeoman, sir. She'll be the one to ask."

Petty Officer Legalman Second Class Jennifer Coates turned her head to see if she was the one being addressed, and Hernandez swiftly introduced Captain Gillespie and explained the issue at hand.

Jennifer had been as shocked as the pretty Marine Pfc, but coping with her sometimes irascible Chief's temper had given her better control of her usually highly expressive face. So she was able to look the army officer directly in the eye without either flinching or betraying her sympathy for his injuries, or at least that was what she hoped.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said apologetically after she had heard the Sergeant's account, "But there really is no JAG Officer of that name assigned here."

Gillespie was getting angry. He knew his wife was assigned here. She had told him that for her designator it was the best assignment she could possibly have. Surely she hadn't told the people she worked with to deny her presence to him? His leg was hurting like hell, and he had seen how the young Marine had avoided looking at his face, now the female Petty Officer, although she had tried hard, could not quite conceal the pity and nausea she felt when she looked at him, and he couldn't blame her. His heart sunk though when he remembered his wife had had the same look in her eyes, when they last met. Once the bandages had been removed and she'd seen what was left of his face he had seen the look in her eyes, he had refused to let her visit him at Walter Reed. He had been afraid that the stress of coping with his disfigurement might harm their baby and it was only recently that he had realised that his rejection of her must have hurt her badly, she hadn't taken any of his calls or answered his letters, either in California or here in Virginia. It was only in the past few days that with the help of an army psychologist he had been able to convince himself to attempt a reconciliation, and that she might still be able to love him despite the results of his shoot down in Afghanistan. Agitatedly fumbling in his breast pocket, he pulled out a photograph of her, a happy smiling, loving photograph and handed it to the young navy E5.

Jennifer Coates looked at the picture as he said "There! That's my wife! Don't try to tell me that she doesn't work here!"

Jen felt her stomach go cold as she looked at the picture of a very familiar face, but turning to Hernandez she said, "Oh, it's OK Sergeant, I think I know what's happening here," and turning to Gillespie she said, "If you allow me, sir, I'll walk you up."

Jen conducted the visitor to the elevator, adjusting her normally swift stride to his slower pace. The ride up to the Ops level had never seemed to take so long and she hoped that the captain wouldn't speak, that would mean she would have to turn and face him and she wasn't entirely sure that she could control her face any longer and prevent it from reflecting her feelings.

At last the elevator ground to a halt and with a "Please walk with me, sir", and hoping that the bull-pen crew would not gawp in too obvious a manner, she led Gillespie towards Colonel MacKenzie's office, explaining as she did so, "I'm afraid the Admiral's away from his desk, sir; I'll take you to meet Colonel MacKenzie, his Chief of Staff."

"I don't want to meet this Colonel whatever his name is! I want to speak to my wife." he answered staring arounf the bull-pen in hopes of seeing her.

"Yes, sir, but you do need to talk to the Colonel, sir. She's best suited to tell what you need to hear."

Thankfully, they had reached the Colonel's office, and Jen with a swift apologetic smile rapped sharply on the doorjamb and on the Colonel's brisk "Enter!" she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Lieutenant Colonel Sarah 'Mac' MacKenzie looked up at her visitor and was struck by the look of horror in her eyes.

"What is it, Coates?" she asked, trying to sound impassive, while being able to tell just from the look on Coates' face that something was terribly wrong.

"Ma'am, there's an army captain that you need to speak to." Jennifer gulped, "He says he's come to visit his wife, ma'am. He says he's Lieutenant Singer's husband."


End file.
